BETHESDA (be-thEz'da), (Gr. linezzrazi, bay-thes dah', house or place of mercy), a tool at the Sheep gate of Jerusalem, built round with porches fur the accommodation of the sick who sought benefit from the healing virtues of the water, and upon one of whom Christ performed the healing miracle recorded by St. John (v:2-9).
That which is now, and has long been pointed out as the Pool of Bethesda, is a dry basin or reservoir outside the northern wall of the in closure around the Temple Mount, of which wall its southern side may be said to form a part. The east end of it is close to the present gate of St. Stephen. The pool measures 36o feet in length, do feet in breadth, and 73 feet in depth to the bottom, besides the rubbish which has ac cumulated in it for ages. Although it has been dry for about two centuries, it was once evi dently used as a reservoir, for the sides internally have been cased over with small stones, and these again covered with plaster ; but the workman ship of these additions is coarse, and bears no special marks of antiquity. The west end is huilt up like the rest, except at the southwest corner, where two lofty arched vaults extended west ward, side by side, under the houses that now cover this part. (Barclay. City of the Great King, p. 516 ff.; King, The Temple Hill.) Dr. Robinson was able to trace the continua tion of the work in this direction under one of these vaults for too feet, and it seemed to ex tend much farther. This gives the whole a length of 16o feet, equal to one-half of the whole extent of the sacred inclosure tinder which it lies; and how much more is unknown. It would seem as if the deep reservoir formerly extended farther westward in this part : and that these vaults were built tip, in and over it, in order to support the structures above. Dr. Robinson con siders it probable that this excavation was an ciently carried quite through the ridge of Bezetha, along the northern side of Antonia to its north west corner, thus forming the deep trench which seParated the fortress from the adjacent hill (Bib. Researches, i. 433, 434). The mere appear
ance of the place, and its position immediately under the wall of the sacred inclosure, strongly support this conjecture, so that we are still left to seek the Pool of Bethesda. if indeed any trace of it now remains. Dr. Robinson himself. without having any definite conviction on the subject, asks whether the Pool of Bethesda may not in fact be the 'Fountain of the Virgin.' The question was suggested to his mind by the ex ceedingly abrupt and irregular plan of that foun tain. Ile remarks: 'We are told that an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water ;' and then whosoever first stepped in was made whole ( John v:2-7). There seems to have been no special medicinal virtue in the water itself, and only he who first stepped in after the troubling was healed. Does not this troubling of the water look like the irregular plan of this fountain? And as the Sheep-gate seems to have been situated not far from the Temple (Neh. :t. 32), and the wall of the ancient Tem ple probably ran along this valley; may not that gate have been somewhere in this part, and the Fountain of the Virgin correspond to Bethesda. the same as the 'King's Pool' of Nehemiah, and the 'Solomon's Pool' of Josephus? (Bib. Re searches, i. 508). For an account of the Foun tain to which these inquiries relate, we must re fer to the article on the Fountain, with which that of the Virgin is closely connected (R. A. Conder agrees with Dr. Robinson, Hastings' Bib. Diet. See Barclay, City of the Great Kin7. p. 3t6. ff.: King, Time Temple Hill). (See SILO.% , POOL OF.) (bah-ezel). (Heb. ba•th haw-av'tsel, house of firm root), a place mentioned (Mic. It was, according to Ephrem Syrtis. not far from Samaria. Perhaps identical with Az.d or Ezel (Zech. xiv:3). Exact site unknown.
GADER (Heb. house of the well), a city of Judah (1 Chron. ii:51). Perhaps the same as Ceder (Josh. xii:13). (See CED•R.)